The possibility of moving the Raisin Township Police Department into the former Sutton School building on Sutton Road remains only in the talking stages.

Jay Cavanaugh, township supervisor, and Harry Hutchison, township building inspector, answered questions about a potential project from the audience at Monday’s township board meeting. A year ago, the Lenawee Intermediate School District, which owns the now-vacant former one-room schoolhouse and addition, entered into a lease agreement with Raisin Township at a cost of $1 for 10 years, and the township has been exploring the possibility of using a portion of the building.

“We are in a position now where we need to make a decision. This has been on the back burner for a year. We aren’t spending any money right now,” Cavanaugh said. “But, we need to determine if it is worth it to spend some money, have three firms come in (with proposals) and tell us what needs to be done.”

Hutchison said the township has received proposals from two companies, Blackstoc (BA) of Traverse City and Better Design Group of Michigan, and waiting for a proposal from T.S. Quatro of Ypsilanti. He said the first two proposals have an estimated cost of up to $400,000 to renovate the building for a full conversion. That price was in line with expectations, Hutchison said.

Stan Wilson, whose company Wilson Backhoe of Britton holds the contract to demolish the former schoolhouse, said he was sure the LISD had already studied the building and decided that whatever historic value it had was not enough when compared to the cost of renovating. The LISD and the Sutton School Preservation Foundation had been wrangling for several years over the fate of the building, constructed in 1859 by the Sutton family, who were Quakers and local abolitionists. Nothing has been settled or done for the past two years.

Hutchison and Cavanaugh both said this new set of proposals are for something different. The board has a lot of different options, but both stressed nothing has been decided.

“The money for an architect is going to be spent only when the board decides to go ahead,” Cavanaugh said. “When (all the proposals are) in, it will be on the agenda and we will talk about it.”

Hutchison said the preliminary cost to do a full conversion of the building was estimated at between $350,000 and $400,000. He said other possibilities could involve using part of the building for the police department and renovating the rest of it as a training facility.

In 2009, several proposals were made by the Preservation Foundation to buy the building and move it to a new location so it could be used by community groups as a teaching tool. However, nothing came of the plans and the building has sat unused.